Book Changed My Life Novels & Stories

I moved stiffly across the room and lowered myself into the cushions, careful to keep a cushion’s worth of distance between us. “You’re reading,” I murmured, eyeing the book in his lap. The Bell Jar. He followed my gaze and lifted the book. “It was in your stack. Thought I’d see what you liked about it.” “I didn’t think you liked fiction,” I said before I could stop myself. His smile didn’t falter. “Maybe I didn’t. Maybe I do now.” I turned away, studying the fireplace. “People don’t change that fast.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I was in a coma for three weeks, Celeste. Do you know what that does to your brain? How it rewires things?”

I’d almost forgotten about it. Everything that had happened over the past several days seemed to lead back to that worn leather book. Every time something in my life changed… So did the journal. I stared at it for a long moment without moving. It was strange how something so ordinary could make me hesitate. A worn leather journal shouldn’t have been intimidating. It shouldn’t have been able to change my life every time I opened it. Yet somehow… it always did.

“Out loud. In this room.” Rhys looks at me. I look at the carpet. The book is in my bag because the book is always in my bag because carrying the book is like carrying proof that I was someone before the arrangement – a writer, a person, a girl with a voice, a woman whose words mattered enough to bind and sell – and I pull out the manuscript and open to page one and the first sentence sits on the page the way the first sentence always sits, with the specific gravity of an opening line that changed my life.

Like no one had ever lived there. She had erased every sign that she'd existed in this house. A footstep behind me. My heart leapt and I spun around. It wasn't her. The housekeeper stood there, visibly nervous, holding a photo album. "Alpha — I found this in the living room trash. I thought it might have been thrown away by accident." She set it down and quietly left. I opened it slowly. The first photograph stopped the air in my lungs — it was me, middle school, the basketball tournament where I'd played for our school. The shutter had caught me mid-dunk.

“Dylan, can you stop being paranoid all the time? It’s really annoying. This is my cousin’s file. She didn’t dare bring it home because she was afraid her husband would see it, so she left it with me.” I accepted her explanation, but a seed of doubt stayed buried in my heart. In all the years I’d known her, this was the first time I’d ever heard she even had a cousin. However, in my previous life, I trusted her completely and never questioned it again.

There was my boy, just left on the bed, nothing on him but a scratchy washcloth. I did not think twice. I switched the babies back without missing a beat. As I held the tiny bundle and the baby snuggled tight against me, tears came unbidden. He seemed to connect with me right away, nestling into the warmth of my chest. Yes. Even on our first meeting, I knew in my gut that he was my flesh and blood! In my previous life, Derick had his fling with his so-called 'sister' Jasmine before he ever knew me.

I whispered, eyes wide with realization. I closed the book slowly, the weight of it pressing into my palms. “This changes everything.”

It would make it that much easier for her to control me. Now, I understood that I couldn't rely on anyone else if I wanted to change my fate. I could only depend on myself. I wanted to tell Lila that the Lawson family was nothing but a cage. Still, I could only hope that she wouldn't regret the path she'd chosen. Meanwhile, I needed to return to the original path I'd chosen for myself. I wanted to change my future through education. I would sit for the SATs and change my life! As Lila had done in her past life, I saved a regular middle-aged man named George Stone from the rubble. He was gravely injured and immediately taken to the hospital. A few days later, I bought some fruit and visited h

Charlotte insisted on doing it herself. “I thought you might like this one,” she said as she handed me the book. “It’s about a man who loses everything. Then…he tries to get it back together little by little.” I glanced at the cover. The title was dramatic. So I said, flatly, “Sounds dramatic.” She let out a short laugh. I never heard someone laugheed like this before. She looked so innocent and pure. Well, she was a budding she-wolf and perhaps still figuring out how the world works.

I say with a smile on my face. She pulls herself away, “It is nice seeing you help yourself and become a better person.” I nod. “You helped me a lot. “ “You helped me too.” I chuckle, “You made me become closer to God. You made me put my trust in Him and that I should strengthen my faith to help myself move forward.” “Oh Lindy, for the past year I saw you struggle and grow at the same time. It is truly admiring.” “Thank you.” “Well.” She chimes while pulling something out from her bag. “Since it is your departure day and I will awfully miss you, here is a gift.” She pulls out a new Bible. “I asked Father John to bless it for you.”